Picker-stick buffer for looms.



. l Patented ar. s2, mlm.,

F. A. MILLS. PICKEB STICK BUFFER FR LUUWWS.

(Application n1d'ot-2s, 1900A,

(No Mndel.)

innen-- "IIL N 1TBN .STATES l FRANCIS ARTHUR MiLLS, or METHURN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASS'IGNCR oF l.

ONE-HALF TO GROSVENOR B. EMMONS, OF SAME PLACE.

PICKER-erick BUFFER FOR Loot/ls.

SPECIFICATION forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 669,760, dated March 12, 1901. A

Application ldOo'toher 23, 1900. Serial No. 34,082. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANCIS ARTHUR MILLS, a citizenfof the United States, residing at Methuen, in the county of Essex and State ofv Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Picker-Stick Buffers for Looms, of which the following is a specification. y

The invention hereinafter set forth vis di# rected to the attainment of new and advair tageous results in checks or buffers for the picker-stick` motion of looms; and the invention resides in a strap buffer device for the' cam-actuated impact of the picker-stick,

whereby to throw a more'accurate shuttle and to regulate the night of the shut-tlc and prevent t-he destructive and derangingelect-sof the picker-stick motion in throwing the shuttle through the open shed,and in the claims concluding this specification the novelfeatures of the strap-buffer will he set out.

The accompan ying drawings illustrate my new strap-buifer in its use with the pickersticks of looms, and referring to these drawings- Figure 1 shows in Side View, enlarged, the strap-buffer for the cam-actuated blowof the picker-stick. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively vertical and horizontal sections of the Same, the latter looking at the.` under side ofthe race-lay. Fig'. il is a cross-section of the same,

taken through the mounting of the spools of the strap-hulfer. Fig. 5 is a Sectio/nal View of the adjusting device for the buffer-strap.

`The picker-sticks 1.1 are shown mounted and actuated in the usual way.

The provision which I have'made for cushioning the cam-actuated or inward blows of the picker-sticks consists of strap-hunters 12 and a pair ,of springs 1313, separately conare mounted each at one end of the lay 5 upon a pair of spools 14 14 on the underside of the race-lay at the innei` ends of and on each side of the slots in the race-lay, within which slots the picker-sticks have their to-and-fro movement-S. The strap crosses around the spools .across the path of the picker-Stick, so' that each end ofA the strap passes around a Spool necting the ends of the strap. The straps and extends therefrom parallel to each other some distance from the spools and toward the end of the race-lay, and therefore at right angles to the blow-receiving side of the strap upon which the blow is delivered between the ends of the strap and will force it in a direction away from the spools to the extent shown in Fig.Y 3 from the dotted lines, at which position `of the strap the impact is deliver-ed. The strap is made double and passed as a single strap around the spools, with its doubled ends 15 15 each connected to a spiral spring,

the other ends of` which are connected to brackets 16, fixed to and depending from the race-lay. This connection of eachend of the strap with a separate s prin g gives a free yielding function at both ends under the impact of the picker-stick. vThis impact forces the strap in a direction away from the spools, and

. it is the provision of the pair oi' springs with their tension adjusted equally on each end of 4the strap that gives the best cushioning effeet on the picker-stick and causes the strap toreturn to its normal position." A Simple wayof mounting the spools is seen in Fig. 4. A bolt 17, screwed into abracket 1S, fastened tothe front side of the lay, serves as the.

mountingstnd of' one of the spools, and a bolt 1t), passed through a hole inthe lay at its rear side, supported by a Washer 20, holds the other spool. At the end of the race-lay brackets 16 depend and form the connections for the springs. For this connection a screw .21 passes through a non-threaded hole in the bracket 1G` and engages a central bore in a4 conical block 22, around which the end of the spring is wound and bound. By means of these bolts 21 each end of the strap can be adjusted and the bolt locked by jam -nuts 23 to the bracket 1G,while a nnt24locl1s the bolt to the conical block. Theconnection ofthe springs to the looped ends of the buffer-strap is made by yokes'25, looped i'ntothe doubled ends of the buffer-strapand formed with a conical block 26, upon which theend of the spring is wound and bound. By loosening the jamnuts and turning the bolts the tension of .the Springs can be increased or diminished. The

connection `of each endA of the strap with a spring and the delivering of the impact so as to force the strap in a direction away from the spools will cause very little strain upon the same and causes the latter to have a free rolling upon their supports in one direction under the impact of the picker-staff and in the other direction under the tension of the springs. 4 This relieves the spools of the great strain of the picker-stick blows and prevents wear of-the strap and the rolls. The pair of springs gives equal and positive tension on and with the [.)icker-stick.' The connect-ionl of the spring with the ends of the-race-lay aleach end of the strap, so that whatever the adjustment of the tension of the springs the .strap will always yield equally at both ends with a perfect yielding buffer function upon rlows the use -of long springs, which are more velastic and easily adjusted and do not interfere with the mechanism on the race-lay. The provision of the loops connecting the vstrap and springs brings the line ofthe tension mediately of the width of the strap and Apreserves the propel' relation ofV these parts with the spools and lkeeps both parts of th double strap tau t and in place.,

Provision `is made for cushioning the blows 'of the shuttle at the end of its :Hight across the lay by means of pneumatic rubber buf* fers 27 27, depending from each end of the race-lay in the path of the picker-sticks.

These rubber'bu'ffers are each composed of an im pact-surface ofnless than half a sphere,

' a suitable seat and casing 28 therefor, formagainst the picker and picker-stick.

the air being driven out` of ing an air-chamberf29 ofxed area below or ,behind said seat and an unvalved o eninir t1 30 from said chamber, -whereby the blow of theshuttle and picker-stick is delivered without resilient effect upon thel pneumatic buffer,

'and it is this non-resilient action which pre-y 'vents the rebound of the shuttle in its flight For the proper impact of the picker-stick up`o`n the rub'berbuffers they are provided with convex striker-bunters 31, arranged so that vthe impact is central with the buffer, the blow giving practically a dead effect on .account'of the chamber 'through the vent.

The shuttle is thrown and received in the usual way by th'epicker-stick,'while a yieldl ing stuffed bunter 33`onthe same side ofthe picker-stick as the picker serves to` deliver 'the cam-actuated shuttle-blow of the pickerstioklu'pon the strap-buer, so that both the bunterA and the strap cushion the blow in throwing the shuttle.

Obviously the employment. of thedoubled 'strap mounted as .a singlestrap upon the loose spools not only gives the advantage of always lsupp'tn-tiii'g the'impact layer of the strap by its doubled layer, but this construction gives the important advantage of allow'- ing the strap to be reversed upon its mounting-spools to present Aeither layer thereof to receive vthe impact ofv the pickerstick. A The layers of the strap can 'also be changed to change the impact-surface by rolling the .looped ends of the strap th rough'the loops by which it is con n ected to the springs. I d o not claim herein this pneumaticrubber buffer, as suoli matter is made the sub jectrof a separate and distinct application for apatent, filed by me April 19, 1900,Seri'al No'.

13,496, and on which Patent No. granted December 25, 1900,

I claim i 1. A buffer .forthecam-actuated or inward throw ofthe picker-stick comprising a pair of spools looselymou nted on each sideof the path 664,81was of the pickerstick, an endless strap doubled, its layersncntact with each other, its ends terminating inloops and a spring giving the proper tension on each looped end ot the strap whereby both layers of the strap one supporting the othe'r are caused to move together on the. spools as a single'stra'p with the shuttle-y driving impact of the pickeistick and in the return of the strap to its normal-position.

2,'.In a loom the combinationof the pickerstick, and the race-lay, with a buffer for-the cam-actuated throw of the pieken-stick coin'-V prising a pair of `freely-mounted spools, an

-endlessstrap doubled its layers engaging the spools as'a single strap'the loops formed by of the lay, a pair of coil-springs engaging each looped end of the strap to give equal tensionon its layers and screw-bolts on the lay entering and connecting the springs in the longitudinal line thereof. l

'3. A buffer forthe earn-actuated orinward.

throw of the picker-stick comprising apair -of'spools loosely mounted on each side of the stick, the yrace-lay and a shuttle, with'a buf!` fer for the cam-'actuated throw of the pickerstick, comprising a pairof spools mounted on each side of the picker-'stad slot inthe racelay, an endless strap doubled as a single strap crossing around the spools, a loop engagingv the looped ends of the doubled strap, acoiled end of `the lay, each having anIunthieaded hole,a screw-bolt passing through the brackethole, a hub bound in the end of thev spring engaging said bolt, and jam-nuts onthe bolt between the brackets and the said hub.

5. In a loom and in combination with the picker-stick and the race-lay, abuier-strap spring secured to the loop, brackets on the ,and having a central screw-threaded bore for 1 its ends lying between the spools and the end for trhe Gain-actuated or inward thiow of the thc spocls and tn thc impact of the pickerlncunted spools an cndicssstp doubled, its Infie'stsimfonyI whci'cof I affix my vsgnatuife laycrs'cngaging the'spols ascsi'ngle strap,` 1in presencev oftwo witnesses l "jielsyer supporting bhenthena pair o'f ".:gdubled strap', and the strap adapted mbe l GROSVENORBQEMMONS,

springs connecting the loopedvends Qf the` Witnesses:

l. j reverscdto change its layers in relation to -A' l y! D. DnWOODBURjL.

FRANCIS ARTHUR MILLS'I l 

